Koh’s family said it was no ordinary kidnapping, and that “religious elements” took the pastor in an act of “vigilantism or terrorism”.

Koh runs a non-government organisation called Harapan Komuniti (Hope Community) here, which helps the poor, single mothers, and drug addicts.

“He’s passionate, he loves people, he loves God,” Jonathan Koh son.

Raymond Koh’s organisation was in 2011 probed by Malaysia’s Islamic authorities. It was accused of attempting to convert Muslims when the organisation hosted a party with Muslim attendees at a church. The allegations were later dropped.

Apostasy is an offence in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

Koh remained a target of online rumours and even received two bullets in the post shortly afterwards, his family said.

It has emerged that several people had lodged a police report against Koh, alleging that he tried to convert Muslims to Christianity in January.

“He would never ask anyone to leave Islam,” Jonathan Koh said.

“His alleged proselytism is not an excuse for kidnapping. If he did anything wrong, he should have the right as any citizen to trial.”

The police said they were pursuing three angles: Koh had “personal issues”, extremist groups were involved, or that he was kidnapped for ransom.

They did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

Amid the media blitz over Koh’s disappearance and the video clip, stories about other missing Malaysians began to emerge.

All of these cases were recent disappearances and many remain unexplained.

Peter Chong, a social activist and former city councillor, disappeared last weekend near Kuala Lumpur. Police have since said he was seen crossing the border into Thailand.

Joshua and Ruth Hilmy, a Pastor and his wife, were last seen near Kuala Lumpur in November.

Muslim social activist Amri Che Mat was snatched from his car in November in Perlis state.

His wife has denied allegations that he was spreading Shia Islam, which is banned by religious authorities in Malaysia.

There is no evidence these are in any way linked but in the absence of concrete information, many have come up with their own theories, including that the authorities may have had a hand in all this.

The “unprecedented mysterious” vanishings has led to “public perception and speculation… of forced disappearances”, said the Malaysian Bar, using a term which usually refers to state-sponsored abductions.